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Probiotics labelled 'quite useless' (AMP link)
A group of scientists in Israel claim foods that are packed with good bacteria - called probiotics - are almost useless.
[...] The team at the Weizmann Institute of Science made their own probiotic cocktail using 11 common good bacteria including strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. It was given to 25 healthy volunteers for a month. They were then sedated and samples were surgically taken from multiple places in the stomach and small and large intestines.
The researchers were looking to see where bacteria successfully colonised and whether they led to any changes in the activity of the gut. The results in the journal Cell [open, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.041], showed in half of cases the good bacteria went in the mouth and straight out the other end. In the rest, they lingered briefly before being crowded out by our existing microbes.
[...] The research group also looked at the impact of probiotics after a course of antibiotics, which wipe out both good and bad bacteria. Their trial on 46 people, also in the journal Cell [open, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.047], showed it led to delays in the normal healthy bacteria re-establishing themselves.
Dr Elinav added: "Contrary to the current dogma that probiotics are harmless and benefit everyone, these results reveal a new potential adverse side effect of probiotic use with antibiotics that might even bring long-term consequences."
(Score: 1) by anubi on Saturday September 08 2018, @02:32AM (2 children)
I hated that "Phospho-Soda".
The only use I could figure for Phospho-Soda is if they would control it so that its pH was held really tight, so I could use it for calibration of my soil tester. With that concentration of ionic salts, it should take quite a bit of contamination before it changes pH.. ( aka "pH Calibration Buffer Solution"). I thought it would be neat to be able to go buy something like this over the counter at any drugstore if I wanted to reassure myself my soil tester is reporting the correct pH.
It made me seriously consider which was worse for me, the risks of drinking that much monosodium/disodium phosphate at one sitting, or the risk of an undetected intestinal problem. That stuff would sure clean someone out by causing reverse osmosis in the gut by its sheer concentration of salinity.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by driverless on Sunday September 09 2018, @06:43PM (1 child)
Phospho-soda AFAIK is to, um, clear out the colon. It doesn't have anything to do with pH management.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Monday September 10 2018, @05:12AM
I am always looking for alternative uses for things.
I took that stuff as pre-colonoscopy prep. As careful as I had been trying to keep my sodium intake down, I highly questioned putting that much saline into me at one fell swoop.
I had seen warnings about kidney failure after taking such a heavy saline dose. I could just imagine this scenario:
Presenting perfectly healthy... doctor says "we need to look up your butt. Clean yourself out. Take this stuff."
I take it. Kidneys fail. Now doctor says "You need Dialysis to live. The costs will be $500/month. How do you intend to pay?"
While the healthcare company gives me copies of the forms I signed in order to authorize the colonoscopy in the first place, which holds them harmless against anything that goes wrong.
Knowing I signed them because I had a whole bunch of people hovering around me insisting I sign the damned thing, and I am the major traffic jam in the room for refusing to sign, not them being the major traffic jam for insisting on my signing it.
Then I would cuss myself out for listening to the doctor and the healthcare industry in the first place. I should have never set foot in that place unless I was already pretty damn sick!
While looking this stuff up, I saw it was a very concentrated ratio of monosodium and disodium phosphate, and with that many ions in play, looked to me like it would be quite stable as far as pH buffering goes.
Being I also have use of pH meters from time to time ( mostly having to do with soil ), I would love to be able to go easily buy a common chemical, over the counter, that also had a very stable and known pH, just as all the radio amateurs know that WWV is not just a time source, the carrier itself can be used as a frequency reference.
Right now, I have to go get special "pH buffer solutions" to calibrate my pH meter, or verify its working properly. If I get bad readings, I incorrectly prepare my soil, not optimal for what I am trying to grow. I really would like to have more options than checking against pHydrion paper.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]